State level workshop on Intellectual Property Rights

A state-level workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for accelerating creativity and innovation was held at the Capital Convention Centre here on Monday.
In his keynote address, head of IPR Division of Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Dr Yashawant Dev Panwar shared that with property protection being an integral part of rights and with innovation and creativity in any form, it was necessary to protect and stimulate the development and distribution of new products and the provision of new services based on the creation and exploitation of inventions.
Further, he highlighted the Women Scientists Scheme (WOS-C) on IPR, a scheme of Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, for women scientists that was being implemented by Patent Facilitating Centre (PFC) of TIFAC. The scheme is aimed at training women scientists having qualifications in science, engineering, medicine or allied areas in the area of IPR and provide them scholarship for a period of one year and eventually develop a pool of women scientists geared up in creating, protecting and managing intellectual property in India. And till now, about 800 women have been trained.
In her welcome address, Nagaland Science and Technology Council (NASTEC) chairperson and secretary Hokhuli K Chishi remarked that such a workshop was required to create awareness about IPR among the people to make sure the creator had an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. She said it was the need of the hour in such a scenario of commercial exploitation.
With the Patent Information Centre having been inaugurated in 2002, she claimed that though it was a new terminology for the State, the centre had carried out awareness programmes with an outreach of about 20,000 innovators, including research scholars, students and entrepreneurs.
Divulging that four IPR cells had been set up across the State– department of Industries and Commerce, Patkai college, Kohima Science College and SET, Chishi requested TIFAC to help the State increase public awareness.
The programme was chaired by programme coordinator, Scientist D, NASTEC, Dr Nesatalu Hiese and vote of thanks was delivered by Scientist B, NASTEC, Kekuneil Ltu.
The workshop was organised by NASTEC, Department of Science & Technology in collaboration with TIFAC
2 cases of IPR: Meanwhile, interacting with the media, Hiese revealed of two cases of property rights on Chakesang attire.
Case 1: The Chakesang Women Welfare Society (CWWS) had accused Indian designer Ritika Mittal for using Chakesang textile without proper consent for her “Mora Collection”, which was a case of property rights and exploitation of Naga traditional designs and motifs.
It was informed that the designer had allegedly used the Chakhesang shawls in her saree and marked it for her “Mora” collection and claimed that they were her own creations in 2021
It was also learnt that Ritika had claimed that ‘Thebvo’ was a word she claimed was coined for her project as she stayed with the Chakesang community. She was also about to release her book, though it had been halted.
Case 2: In a mela organised by TRIFED, it was mentioned that the Government of India had also pre-informed the organisers on property rights. In this context, the Chakesang community had filed a case against Ritu Beri, an Indian fashion designer, as two Chakesang shawls had been used on saree and everything had been woven in fabric and some in a carpet ramp, that had hurt the sentiments of Chakesang women.
The Chakhesang women had filed two cases – one defamation and one GI infringement – and had also written to the designer to stop production of more products.
The case started in 2020 and due to Covid-19 had been delayed for two years. At the preliminary stage, the society had won the case, though the final verdict was expected in May this year.